Water game and amusement device



April 19, 1955 E. R. CISNE WATER GAME AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed March 27, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l [ow/NR. CLSNE INVENTOR.

E W 'j ATTORNEY April 19, 1955 E. R. CISNE 2,706,630

WATER GAME AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed March 27, 1953 2 S tshee 2 12 I .LKV fW/$% 7f I I] IIHIIHIM Z IIIIIIIII II uunummm umuuuum I fowl/v R. C/s/vE INVENTOR.

A TTORN E Y United States Patent Office 2,706,630 Patented Apr. 19, 1955 WATER GAME AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Edwin R. Cisne, Jacksonville, Ill.

Application March 27, 1953, Serial No. 345,057

3 Claims. (Cl. 272-32) This invention relates to a water game and amusement device.

The invention is more particularly concerned with a water game and amusement device characterized by an airsealed drum-like member including a top circular plate, and wherein the drum-like member is securable in position within a body of water with capacity for rotation or spinning as well as tilting movements.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind above referred to which provides a water game which is carried out by a number of persons walking in a circle adjacent the edge of the plate and wherein substantial skill is required on the part of the players to maintain their balanced walking positions on the plate rather than falling into the water and which is determinative of the winners of the game.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind referred to which in the playing of the game provides great amusement for the players as well as for those witnessing the game.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the installation of the device for use, and further showing in dotted lines the drum-like member in one of many tilted positions which it may assume as a result of a player or players being in an unbalanced position or deviating from the circular path in which the players should be walking.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view particularly showing the roughened surface of the top plate.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the top plate particularly illustrating the circular rubber washer or gasket and the reinforcing ribs.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary diametrical sectional view on an enlarged scale and as observed in the plane of line 44 on Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, designates a drum-like member which provides in effect a buoy and is adapted to normally float in the water W as indicated in Fig. l.

The drum-like member 10 includes a pan-like body 11 and a top plate 12.

The pan-like body 11 comprises a bottom wall 13 which may include an upwardly dished central portion 14, a cylindrical side wall 15 and a circular flange 16 projecting laterally outwardly from the upper edge of the cylindrical side wall 15.

The upwardly dished central bottom wall portion 14 is provided with an aperture 17 for a purpose later to appear.

The top plate 12 is in the form of a disk whose diameter is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the flange 16 aild which provides a cover for the pan-like body member 1.

Provision is made for an air-tight seal between the panlike body member 11 and the top plate 12 and such is preferably affected by means of a flat circular washer or gasket 18 disposed between the flange 16 and the marginal portion of the top plate 12. The top plate 12 is preferably provided with a marginal flange 19 whose inner wall engages the outer edges of the flange 16 and the gasket 18 whereby both the top plate and gasket may be quickly and properly positioned relative to the flange 16.

While the dimensions of the pan-like member 11 and the top plate 12 are not critical they should, however, be

of substantial radius in order to accommodate several players. Suitable dimensions for a well adaptable game device of this kind have been found to be a six foot diameter for the pan-like member 11 and an eight foot diameter for the top plate 12 and with these dimensions a suitable depth to provide the required buoyancy has been found to be one foot seven and one-half inches.

Since in the game the players walk on the upper surface of the top plate 12, same is suitably roughened as indicated at 20 to avert possible slipping of the players.

The top plate 12 is reinforced by means of a plurality of ribs 21 depending from the lower face of the plate and being radially disposed as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. The ribs are of maximum depth at their juncture 22 in the center of the plate and a tapped aperture 23 is provided in such juncture 22. The ribs are of successively less depth from the juncture 22 to their outer ends which are disposed substantially inwardly of the periphery of the top plate or substantially in alignment with the cylindrical wall 15 of the drum-like member 10, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4.

A stud bolt 24 is provided with a threaded upper end 25 which is threaded into the tapped aperture 23 and the lower threaded end 26 of the bolt projects through the aperture 17 in the upwardly dished central bottom wall portion 14 and a nut 27 is threaded onto the lower end of the bolt into engagement with a washer or washers 28 whereupon the top plate is drawn into firm engagement with the gasket 18.

The nut 27 is provided with a spherical swivel head 29 which is engaged by a swivel loop member 30.

One end of a chain 31 is connected to the swivel loop member 30 and the opposite end thereof has a swivel connection 32 with the upper end of a suitable anchor member 33 whose lower end is embedded in the earth E forming the bed for the body of the water W.

The drum-like member 10 is preferably formed of cast aluminum for lightness in weight and may be provided with a sand blast finish, colored by painting with a bright red water resisting enamel.

In the use of the above described device, several persons may mount the top plate 12 at one time, taking positions in a circle adjacent the periphery thereof. Each person faces the back of the person in front of him, so that all are facing in the same direction around the positional circle.

The players then start walking in the circular path, at first, slowly, and gradually increasing their speed which causes the drum-like member 10 to rotate in the water W about the axis of the normally vertically positioned chain 31.

In order for the drum-like member 10 to maintain its horizontal position while rotating about the axis of chain 31, it is imperative that the players maintain their proper balance and remain within the circular walking path. However, since substantial agility and skill is required on the part of the players to so maintain their balance and walking position, some thereof invariably tumble off the top plate into the water and this makes it more diflicult for the remaining players due to the unbalanced weight on the plate caused by those who have tumbled ofi. Those of the players who remain on the top plate at the end of a predetermined interval of time are considered the winners.

It should be appreciated from the above description that, regardless of which of the players win the game, it is great amusement for all as well as persons who may witness the game.

While the drum-like member 10 may be anchored in water of any depth, it is preferable, particularly as a safety measure, that the water be of a depth of approximately five feet whereby players who have tumbled off the plate may stand in the water or swim ashore.

Having set forth my invention in accordance with a single preferred structural embodiment thereof, what I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the kind described, comprising an airtight drum-like member adapted to float in a body of water, said air-tight drum member comprising a circular top plate having a dependent marginal flange and a plurality of radially disposed reinforcing ribs on its bottom face, said ribs terminating short of said dependent marginal flange, a pan-like body including a bottom wall, a cylindrical side wall and a circular flange projecting radially outwardly from the upper edge of the cylindrical side wall, a sealing gasket interposed on the top of the peripheral edge of said flange under the top circular plate and held in position by the dependent marginal flange on the same, means for drawing the sealing gasket into airtight contact between the radially projecting circular flange of the cylindrical side wall and the circular top plate, with flexible means for anchoring the drum-like member for tilting movement and for rotation about its axis.

2 A device according to claim 1, wherein the means for drawing the sealing gasket into air-tight contact between the radially projecting circular flange of the cylindrical side wall and the circular top plate, comprises a stud bolt extending axially within said drum-like member, one end of said stud bolt having a threaded engagement with the under side of the circular top plate and the other end of said bolt projecting through said bottom wall and being threaded, and a nut engageable with said last mentioned threaded end and bearing upon said bottom wall for urging said top plate towards said flange.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said anchoring means comprises a loop swivelly connected to said nut, a flexible member having one end thereof connected to said loop, an anchor member, and a swivel connection between the other end of said flexible member and said anchor member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 723,759 Thompson Mar. 24, 1903 1,722,523 Hunter July 30, 1929 1,761,058 Trenholm June 3, 1930 2,130,820 Trumbull Sept. 20, 1938 2,226,911 Romano Dec. 31, 1940 

